Fatali Four | Upright Brewing Company

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Notes / Commercial Description:
A blend of barrel aged Four that has fresh homegrown fatali chiles added for a couple months before bottling. It also incorporates light use of brettanomyces yeasts providing a contrasting earthy backdrop for the bright chile flavors. Cellar for up to three years.

Reviews by DefenCorps:

Thank you, Brian. My Upright spree continues. Gushing, this beer is a mildly hazy yellow with a thin, dense white head with decent retention and minimal lacing. The nose is awesome. Fresh, juicy lemony hops with brightening citrus a moderate botanical note ( juniper and spruce) Along with a moderate funk and a touch of sulfur. The peppers add a delicate heat to the nose. Really, though, this smells like what you'd expect barrel aged four to be - refreshing, fruity, bright.

The palate is a whole different beast. The spicy tingly heat Is immediately apparent coating my lips and palate in a pleasant citrusy warmth. Rather botanical on the palate with a blend of citrus, juniper and a wonderful hop character, this is great. The mid palate brings out some acidity and funk, a blend of lactic and lemon acids, and a general earthy funk. Light in body and moderately carbonated, this beer finishes with a slow-burning warmth, along with lemon juice and a little honey. Excellent stuff, easily the best chili beer I've had. Can't wait to see what age does to this beer.

More User Reviews:

Well, this was quite exceptional. A light cloudy straw-orange body with a healthy white froth - very light and refreshing. Tartness perfectly in balance with a kick of heat from the chiles - funky and yeasty, lots of lemon and earthy must, dry finish. Lined this up with a spicy dish for dinner - will be going out to find more of this ASAP.

This beer pours a hazy, pale golden yellow colour, with a teeming tower of puffy, finely foamy, and creamy bone-white head, and lots of rising effervescence that just keeps on adding to a spoon-necessitating experience. Eventually there is some random limestone arch lace left around the glass as it lazily recedes.

The carbonation is fairly laid-back after its opening frothy-assed gambit, the body a decent medium weight, and sort of smooth, I suppose, that is if your cognitive dissonance meter is working as it should be in cases like this. It finishes off-dry, the malt and big fruity essences having a minor slap fight with the lingering chili spiciness.

Overall, this is one pleasantly rendered chili beer, the multi-vectored fruitiness going a long way in balancing out the heat, while the other sundry players look on in amazement. Surprisingly easy to drink, given everything that is going on (and once the pour settles the hell down). Worth checking out, if you like this sort of thing.

My fourth Upright beer, and incidentally, the fourth one to begin with an "F." Hmm...thanks to msubulldog25 for this and every other Upright beer I've had.

From the label: "a barrel-aged wheat beer with chiles." Had never heard of the Fatali (or Fatalii) chili before this.

The pour results in an amazingly cloudy peachy/sunset yellow/gold color. The head is built of larger-than-normal bubbles, kind of soapy looking.

The smell is wonderful. Led by a funky yeast earthiness, a tart, intensely aromatic citrus rind character comes in right behind it. These traits are bold and out front, very Belgian farmhouse in character. A tart, sharp white wine-like presence is here too, maybe reminding most of Chablis or champagne. Chili isn't detected in the nose.

Fatali Four has an attractive and complex taste. Chili is bold and folded over all other flavors, somehow never intrusive despite being so prevalent. A vinous character again reminds of Chablis, sharp and acidic and tart, and the wood seems to be the thing lending a dry and super-earthy element to the overall flavor picture. Yeast gives a dirty/earthy twist. Zesty lime rind sweetness and tartness come in too, and this tartness, along with the heat, carry through strongest in the finish.

Feel is dry, crisp, buoyant, yet still with substantial weight and considerable carbonation. Spiciness plays with the dryness and makes the mouth feel nicely fiery.

One of the most interesting beers I've had in ages. Fatali Four is an intensely flavorful beer that has to be taken slowly, or its sharper intensities can become overbearing. And I'm taking it slowly, I've got all night.

T: A sour saison in my wheel house. Great citrus upfront, heavy on the lime. A touch of musty wood is discernible on the finish along with some puckering tannins and a little heat from the chile's. Not near as spicy as last year. Good tartness and juniper throughout the palate. 4.5/5

M: Full, smooth, and clean on the finish. As always, Upright nails this category. 4.5/5

O: Very good beer. Similar in a lot of ways to the anniversary beer they did for Belmont Station last year due to the similar malt base and barrel usage. If you liked the 14th anniversary, then you'll like this one. Just expect a slight heat on the finish. 4.5/5

Aroma is killer. Oak in spades, light dried fruit, no hint of the chile onslaught ahead.

Taste is unique and very nice. Bright fruitiness with a building moderate chile heat on the back end. Peachy and peppery. Like a nice mango chile salsa but barrel aged. Feel is fairly light bodied, though the heat makes you slow down a bit.

Overall this is a very unique chile beer, one that I'd seek out to try again for sure.

- Probably one of the more spicy beers I have had.. starts off smooth and zesty... bready and zesty yeast.. light grain, wheat notes, and then the peppers really creep up and hit you with beads of sweat in the forehead. Totally awesome. So far the flavor is the highlight.

- Light bodied, quite bubbly.. mouth watering heat.

- Overall not the most drinkable beer.. just might be too hot for some, though not for me. I like it, and I like how the heat sneaks up later without ruining the beers great backbone.